Special Reason for a special someone

Today I'm sharing some pretties from my Mother's Day - ladies only class in April. You know I've been loving the Special Reason stamps & coordinating Stylish Stems dies so they were top of the list to use for this class. As you know, these & pretty much all the other main elements (So Detailed dies & dotty dsp) are retiring & only available while stocks last) so you'll need to be quick if you like them.

This is the first one we made - a combination of flowers, dots, lace & soft colours. Pretty!

The flowers are coloured with a fab, new-to-me technique to create a watercolour look using solid stamped images, watercolour pencils & an aquapainter, that I saw Alisa Tilsner share.

It was one of those times that make me want to run straight to your desk to try it... so I did,  loved it & decided my class lovelies would too...and they did. I used a blender pen to blend the pencil & ink rather than an aquapainter. The blender pen made it so easy to achieve a great look with no risk of excess water.

The 3 main technique steps are:
1. Stamp the image in a light base colour - I used so saffron for the flower & pear pizzazz for the leaves.
2. Colour over part of the image with a heavy layer of watercolour pencil in a coordinating colour/s. Place the pencil where you want to have the most colour. I used calypso coral & old olive pencils.
3. Use a blender pen to blend the pencil over the image. This creates a soft watercolour look.

See Alisa's video sharing the whole technique here - thanks so much, Alisa

I  overlaid the coordinating Stylish Stems flower dies over the stamped images - adhering them only around the flower centre. I've flicked up the shape in this pic so you can see the coloured flower a bit better.

I must mention two more elements that I think makes me love this card:

- the two shaped nested frames in the Stylish Stems die set. They make a lovely combination & Special Reason stamp set includes an image that works with the dies too, as I've used it here. The dies are 40% off until sold out.

- The lacy panel using the So Detailed dies. This die is designed to fit a portrait card but I made this stretch to fit this one by cutting it in half & hiding the gap under the stitched circle shape. These dies are 30% off too.

Simple Special Reason

I was having so much fun trying different ink & pencil colour combinations that I made this card a bonus class project. I used the same method as the first card. For this one I stamped in pink pirouette ink, coloured with melon mambo watercolour pencil... & a good dash of  Wink of Stella, which you may see better in this pic.

I kept it very simple on the inside too.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my cards & the fun watercolour pencil technique. Do try it yourself with any solid images you have & I think you'll love it too. Leave a comment to let me know if you do, or if you have any questions. Here are some final images for you to pin for later inspiration.

Until next time,
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
To see & order any items used in today's project, just click on the items below to see them in my Online Store. You can order from me if you live anywhere in Australia. I would love to be your Demonstrator if you don't already have one.  Please allow "Demonstrator contact" in your preferences so I can thank you properly when you place your order.
Actual items I used are listed first. Alternative purchase options are listed at the bottom of the supply list.

Retiring items are available while stocks last until 31 May, 2017


Dotty Special Reason

Print Recipe

Special Reason Clear-Mount Stamp Set $35.00	Stylish Stems Framelits Dies $54.00 $32.40	So Detailed Thinlits Dies $56.00 $44.80	Birthday Blooms Clear-Mount Stamp Set $33.00	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies $50.00
Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack $38.50	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky $14.00	Wild Wasabi A4 Card Stock $14.00	Whisper White A4 Card Stock $15.75	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad $11.50
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad $11.50	Watercolor Pencils $27.75	Blender Pens $17.00	Stampin' Dimensionals $6.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue $7.00
Big Shot $159.00	Big Shot Magnetic Platform $70.00	Special Reason Wood-Mount Stamp Set $49.00	Birthday Blooms Wood-Mount Stamp Set $47.00	So In Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set $35.00 $29.75

Simple Special Reason

Print Recipe

Special Reason Clear-Mount Stamp Set $35.00	Stylish Stems Framelits Dies $54.00 $32.40	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies $50.00	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder $15.00	Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack $38.50
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock $12.25	White Vellum A4 Card Stock $11.50	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad $11.50	Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad $11.50	Watercolor Pencils $27.75
Banner Triple Punch $38.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush $11.50	Big Shot $159.00	Big Shot Magnetic Platform $70.00	Special Reason Wood-Mount Stamp Set $49.00